Dolph Ziggler Talks How Stand-Up Has Helped Him in WWE

Dolph Ziggler recently spoke to Red Eye Chicago as WWE was recently in town to film Monday Night Raw. Ziggler spoke about a number of topics including his interest in stand-up comedy and his activeness in social media.

When “The Show Off” was asked about what was more difficult, getting powerbombed by Kane, or bombing on stage during a stand-up routine, Ziggler said the following:

“Wow. Yeah, it totally depends. You know my first ever wrestling match was at an Ohio Valley Wrestling show in front of, you know, 60 people, and I was shaking and nervous and waiting to go out. And I’m trying to remember what I could possibly do, what I would get to. And that was like stand-up comedy.

And I get my first ever stand-up [gig] in front of 60 people, I’m shaking when I grab the microphone, I wasn’t sure how my voice was gonna sound, so that’s how it goes. It’s scary.

[Since then] I’ve done improv and taken a couple different classes and all these different things. It’s just about advancing your career to me; being a better sports entertainer. If something works, why does it not work, judging a crowd. I’ve gotten a little bit more comfortable each time.

[Recently] in Toronto, I went to the comedy bar, they let me go up and do six or seven minutes, and I’ve never felt more comfortable.”

The former World Heavyweight Champion also spoke about his social media activeness, and how it affects how fans view him:

“It’s great for someone like me who every week is somehow in a match, but usually not talking. It’s cool to [let fans] know the character a little bit more in depth. If someone’s not in one of the major scenes [on TV], you don’t get the most time to see the character in promo time/backstage segments like that. So with social media, you have a chance to let everyone into that role on your own time.

So it’s kind of cool for someone like me to go, “oh I do stand-up comedy.” I can think outside and roast people on the show, anything I want. [Fans] start to think that there’s this person, not just this character that shows off.”

To read the entire interview, click here.